Is Marijuana Legal in Yemen?

Marijuana for recreational use and medical use is illegal in Yemen, and offenders can face severe punishments. Yemen has strict regulations against many narcotic drugs, including marijuana, for recreational and medical purposes.

Interestingly, this Middle Eastern nation grows and smuggles marijuana for hashish en masse. However, reports indicate that locals prefer a psychoactive plant called khat (qat).

Medical Marijuana Laws in Yemen

Yemen is a traditionally conservative nation with strict substance use laws. For instance, those caught drinking alcohol could be punished by public lashing and imprisoned for up to a year.

Yemen outlaws all forms of cannabis, including medical marijuana. The country has severe penalties for the possession, use, or trafficking of drugs, including steep fines and lengthy jail sentences.

Yemen also aligns with international drug regulation standards:

• In 1971, Yemen signed the Convention on Psychotropic Substances Treaty, agreeing to strictly control 144 psychoactive drugs, including LSD, cocaine, MDMA, delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and other narcotic drugs. The International Narcotics Control Board convention classifies THC as a Schedule 1 substance with a purported high risk of abuse or addiction.
• In 1967, Yemen joined the United Nations (UN), implying it complies with the UN’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. This Act considers marijuana a Schedule I substance, indicating it is unsafe for medical use.

What to Know About Medical Cannabis in Yemen

Yemen has no legal provisions for medical marijuana, and patients cannot legally access the plant. There is no indication that low-/no-THC hemp or CBD is legal in Yemen.

Still, the country is notorious for producing and smuggling hashish, a concentrated cannabis extract. Yemen is Saudi Arabia’s top hashish provider, indicating that locals can theoretically access marijuana through the black market. In 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Oman banded together to address the hashish smuggling and stymie the international drug trade.

Healthcare Is Scarce in Yemen

Medical marijuana restrictions aside, Yemenis struggle to access even basic healthcare services. The nation has been involved in a civil war since 2014, with Houthi rebels fighting against the government and a Saudi-led coalition supporting the government.

The conflict has devastated the country’s healthcare infrastructure, making it difficult for people to receive medical treatment. About 50% of hospitals and clinics have been damaged or destroyed, and staff have been killed or forced to flee the country. The war has also spread diseases and other health problems, including cholera, diphtheria, and malnutrition.

The situation remains dire for locals, who often turn to a different kind of psychoactive plant for relief.

Khat Is Legal and Heavily Used

Cannabis use may be illegal in Yemen. But khat is not.

Khat is a legal plant native to East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula that contains a natural stimulant called S-cathinone. Yemeni people consume, cultivate, and sell khat throughout the country for increased alertness, sociability, and euphoria.

This particular type of plant is Yemen’s most widely used drug, with 90% of men and more than a third of women chewing the plant’s psychoactive leaves daily. Some sources describe khat as Yemen’s version of common United States vices like whiskey and coffee.

While comforting, khat use does not offer medicinal benefits like marijuana.

There Is Potential for Medical Marijuana Research

In Yemen, licensed pharmacies cannot sell cannabis in any form.  Still, the Ministry of Health permits private pharmacies to traffic controlled substances for medical research.

Theoretically, this provision means that the government could approve medical cannabis should sanctioned research prove the plant is an effective alternative to pharmaceuticals.

Unfortunately, policymakers and healthcare providers are unlikely to focus on medical marijuana research and legislative action until Yemen’s war ends and the country stabilizes. Therefore the legal status of cannabis in Yemen will most likely remain unchanged for the present.

Can You Grow Cannabis in Yemen?

Growing cannabis in Yemen is illegal for medical or recreational purposes. Despite the law, some Yemenis grow weed and smuggle hashish in bulk to Saudi Arabia. In the last few years alone, authorities have seized and destroyed more than four tons.

The Bottom Line

Marijuana is illegal in Yemen, and the country has stringent regulations against all forms of cannabis, including medical marijuana. Worse, Yemenis struggle to access medical care due to the ongoing civil war.

Without essential services, citizens primarily turn to the legal psychoactive plant, qat, for daily relief and social connection. Yemen is unlikely to change its medical marijuana rules until it can rebuild the collapsed healthcare and political system.